No. 5 Marian too Strong for Lady Cougars

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's basketball team (4-8, 0-4 CL) hosted No. 5 Marian University (10-0, 4-0 CL) in Ariel Arena on Saturday, December 6.

The Knights set the tone early, taking advantage of MVNU turnovers to jump out to a 7-0 lead. After one, Marian led MVNU 23-14. MVNU started slow in the second quarter and let up a 6-0 run, putting it down 29-14. The Lady Cougars were unable to cut into the Marian lead and trailed 42-24 at halftime. MVNU cut Marian's lead to 14 after Angela Roshak capped off an and-one opportunity with a free throw, making the score 48-34 in the third. That would be as close as MVNU would get the rest of the way.

Down 58-39 entering the fourth, MVNU conceded a 15-2 run to the Knights, putting the game away for good. MVNU fell in the end by a final of 81-47 to the undefeated Knights.

Marian was red-hot on offense as it shot 49.2% from the field and 46.7% (7-15) from three. 29 turnovers hurt MVNU as those led to 38 points for Marian. Marian also owned the paint with 38 points compared to 22 for MVNU. Lily Shepherd led MVNU with 14 points on 5-13 shooting from the floor and 4-8 shooting from deep. Kylie Leibacher added 10 points to go with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

What's Next

MVNU will head to Georgetown, Kentucky for a non-conference matchup at No. 23 Georgetown College on December 12. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.